diff --git a/src/h264.c b/src/h264.c
index 113aecf..f95bc10 100644
--- a/src/h264.c
+++ b/src/h264.c
@@ -988,73 +988,6 @@ int h264_set_controls(struct request_data *driver_data,
 	if (rc < 0)
 		return VA_STATUS_ERROR_OPERATION_FAILED;
 
-	/*
-	 * DEBUG INSTRUMENTATION (3F observability — added 2026-05-04):
-	 * VIDIOC_G_EXT_CTRLS readback on the request fd to confirm the
-	 * V4L2 layer accepted our writes verbatim. Cross-validates the
-	 * patch-0015 POC sentinel strip (top_field_order_cnt should be
-	 * the stripped value, not 65536), the slice-header parser
-	 * outputs (idr_pic_id, dec_ref_pic_marking_bit_size,
-	 * pic_order_cnt_bit_size), and the SCALING_MATRIX_PRESENT flag.
-	 *
-	 * Read into separate stack-allocated targets to avoid any
-	 * aliasing with the SET-side controls; the ioctl will overwrite
-	 * the targets with what's currently stored in the request.
-	 */
-	{
-		struct v4l2_ctrl_h264_decode_params dec_rb = { 0 };
-		struct v4l2_ctrl_h264_pps pps_rb = { 0 };
-		struct v4l2_ext_control rb_controls[2] = { 0 };
-		int rb_rc;
-
-		rb_controls[0].id = V4L2_CID_STATELESS_H264_DECODE_PARAMS;
-		rb_controls[0].p_h264_decode_params = &dec_rb;
-		rb_controls[0].size = sizeof(dec_rb);
-
-		rb_controls[1].id = V4L2_CID_STATELESS_H264_PPS;
-		rb_controls[1].p_h264_pps = &pps_rb;
-		rb_controls[1].size = sizeof(pps_rb);
-
-		static bool readback_warned = false;
-
-		rb_rc = v4l2_get_controls(driver_data->video_fd,
-					  surface->request_fd,
-					  rb_controls, 2);
-		if (rb_rc == 0) {
-			request_log("V4L2 readback: dec.idr_pic_id=%u "
-				    "dec.poc_lsb=%u dec.refmark_bits=%u "
-				    "dec.poc_bits=%u dec.top_foc=%d "
-				    "dec.bot_foc=%d dec.frame_num=%u "
-				    "pps.flags=0x%llx (SMP=%d) "
-				    "pps.refidx_l0=%u pps.refidx_l1=%u\n",
-				    dec_rb.idr_pic_id, dec_rb.pic_order_cnt_lsb,
-				    dec_rb.dec_ref_pic_marking_bit_size,
-				    dec_rb.pic_order_cnt_bit_size,
-				    dec_rb.top_field_order_cnt,
-				    dec_rb.bottom_field_order_cnt,
-				    dec_rb.frame_num,
-				    (unsigned long long)pps_rb.flags,
-				    !!(pps_rb.flags & V4L2_H264_PPS_FLAG_SCALING_MATRIX_PRESENT),
-				    pps_rb.num_ref_idx_l0_default_active_minus1,
-				    pps_rb.num_ref_idx_l1_default_active_minus1);
-		} else if (!readback_warned) {
-			/*
-			 * Rate-limit: log once per process. Linux 6.19.x
-			 * hantro+v4l2 returns EACCES when reading compound
-			 * H.264 controls from a request fd that is in
-			 * QUEUEING state. Not actionable from userspace;
-			 * symptomatic of a kernel-side permission check
-			 * not yet investigated. Decode itself is unaffected
-			 * — the SET-side write succeeded; we just can't
-			 * verify it via readback from this rig.
-			 */
-			request_log("V4L2 readback unavailable on this "
-				    "rig (EACCES from VIDIOC_G_EXT_CTRLS on "
-				    "request_fd) — not retrying\n");
-			readback_warned = true;
-		}
-	}
-
 	dpb_insert(context, &surface->params.h264.picture.CurrPic, output);
 
 	return VA_STATUS_SUCCESS;
diff --git a/src/surface.c b/src/surface.c
index f5b0806..e76db87 100644
--- a/src/surface.c
+++ b/src/surface.c
@@ -272,15 +272,6 @@ VAStatus RequestCreateSurfaces2(VADriverContextP context, unsigned int format,
 	 * 15360 bytes early. Earlier ftrace shows hantro returns
 	 * height=1088 — but verify in-driver to be sure.
 	 */
-	request_log("CreateSurfaces2: surf_width=%u surf_height=%u "
-		    "fmt_width=%u fmt_height=%u bytesperline[0]=%u "
-		    "sizes[0]=%u sizes[1]=%u planes_count=%u "
-		    "v4l2_buffers_count=%u\n",
-		    width, height, format_width, format_height,
-		    destination_bytesperlines[0],
-		    destination_sizes[0], destination_sizes[1],
-		    destination_planes_count, video_format->v4l2_buffers_count);
-
 	/*
 	 * Iter2 Fix 3: initialize the CAPTURE buffer pool on first call.
 	 * Pool size = max(surfaces_count, MIN_CAP_POOL); the +headroom
@@ -618,10 +609,6 @@ VAStatus RequestQuerySurfaceStatus(VADriverContextP context,
 
 	*status = surface_object->status;
 
-	request_log("  -> status=%d (Ready=%d Rendering=%d Displaying=%d)\n",
-		    *status, VASurfaceReady, VASurfaceRendering,
-		    VASurfaceDisplaying);
-
 	return VA_STATUS_SUCCESS;
 }
 
@@ -816,33 +803,6 @@ VAStatus RequestExportSurfaceHandle(VADriverContextP context,
 		}
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * DEBUG INSTRUMENTATION (surface-export diagnosis 2026-05-04):
-	 * dump the full descriptor so we can compare against what mpv
-	 * reports importing via --msg-level=vd=v --msg-level=vo=v.
-	 * Phase 5 review identified DMA-BUF surface export as the
-	 * likely root cause of the solid-blue render in mpv vaapi mode.
-	 */
-	request_log("ExportSurfaceHandle: surf=%u fd[0]=%d fourcc=0x%x "
-		    "w=%u h=%u num_objects=%u num_layers=%u "
-		    "obj[0].size=%u drm_fmt=0x%x drm_mod=0x%llx num_planes=%u "
-		    "p[0].off=%u pitch=%u  p[1].off=%u pitch=%u\n",
-		    surface_id,
-		    export_fds_count > 0 ? export_fds[0] : -1,
-		    surface_descriptor->fourcc,
-		    surface_descriptor->width,
-		    surface_descriptor->height,
-		    surface_descriptor->num_objects,
-		    surface_descriptor->num_layers,
-		    surface_descriptor->objects[0].size,
-		    surface_descriptor->layers[0].drm_format,
-		    (unsigned long long)surface_descriptor->objects[0].drm_format_modifier,
-		    surface_descriptor->layers[0].num_planes,
-		    surface_descriptor->layers[0].offset[0],
-		    surface_descriptor->layers[0].pitch[0],
-		    planes_count > 1 ? surface_descriptor->layers[0].offset[1] : 0,
-		    planes_count > 1 ? surface_descriptor->layers[0].pitch[1] : 0);
-
 	status = VA_STATUS_SUCCESS;
 	goto complete;